


A New Beginning

by IoleveBoslon



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Star Wars Setting, F/M, Force Bond (Star Wars), One Shot, Post-Canon, Reylo - Freeform, Star Wars - Freeform, The Rise of Skywalker - Freeform, spoilers for EP IX in the summary and throughout
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-22
Updated: 2019-12-22
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:14:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,049
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21906577
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IoleveBoslon/pseuds/IoleveBoslon
Summary: WARNING: *MAJOR SPOILERS FOR EPISODE IX: THE RISE OF SKYWALKER* Read at your own discretion.And that was right, wasn’t it. She was his, just as he was hers. They were a dyad in the force, two in one. And so he had fiercely faced the emperor, knowing he had to do anything and everything to protect her, to keep her safe.
Relationships: Kylo Ren/Rey, Rey & Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 32
Kudos: 152





	A New Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> Hi all!
> 
> This is my very first work that I'm posting on Ao3! I've written many fanfics in the past just to help myself cope haha. Well, I just came out of the theater for TROS for the second time and I'm STILL a wreck over the ending. Literally broke my heart, but also gave me so much joy seeing the movie too. Star Wars, man. It's gives both joy and pain at the same time haha.  
> So, I've decided to write an alternate ending for this episode. To help myself and my fellow reylos cope with the ending our two precious babies got. I'll write more of my thoughts of the movie below. Hope you enjoy!!

Her ears roared as her knees hit the cold slab of stone beneath her feet with a dull thud.

The sound of her own breathing was all that Rey could hear. No more. He was no more. The emperor, as quickly and suddenly as he had come into her life, was now no more than a few ashes curling on the breeze. 

And Ben … 

Rey felt her body cave inwards, her hands slapping the ground below her. _Ben._

He had come for her. When it seemed as though all was lost, that there was no other option other than to surrender against her will -- to save the resistance, to save her friends, her family. To relinquish her own will, her own _person_ , for the sake of furthering her _grandfather’s_ order.

***

She had begun the ritual and at the last moment, she’d felt it. The air around her going still, the chorus of chants around her falling silent. The pale, decrepit visage of her grandfather dissipating. Until all that was left was _him._ In his own perilous state, death knocking formidably at his own door, yet all he could do was look at her. 

_**Ben** , _ she’d murmured through the bond.

_**Yes** , _ his whisper caressed her. _**You’re not alone.** _

Rey had felt it then. The warmth that bloomed across her chest. Hope. 

_**Neither are you** , _she murmured back. 

He nodded at her, his eyes so _soft_ and she beheld something else within them. Something she couldn’t afford to dwell on in this moment. For as she reached over her head, her saber seemingly preparing to strike down the emperor in one clean stroke, she felt _his_ hand caress hers, his fingers brushing her own knowingly before -- across time and space -- she released the saber.

It hadn’t taken him long after that. Everyone knew Ben was a force to be reckoned _without_ a weapon. Give him a saber and there was no chance for the remainder of the Knights of Ren. Before she knew it, Ben was walking towards her in the flesh, not even casting a sparing glance at the emperor to his left, his eyes solely on the girl he had come for, the girl who had been there for him time and time again. 

As he walked towards her with purpose, her knees wobbled slightly. No fear shone in his eyes. Only a firm resolve to keep her safe. 

He was painfully beautiful in every way. 

It all happened so fast. They faced the emperor together. And even as her grandfather tampered with their bond, stole things he had no right to touch in the first place, Ben never left her side. Even when he woke before her, he struggled to rise, always the furious prince protecting what was his. 

And that was right, wasn’t it. She was _his,_ just as he was _hers._ They were a dyad in the force, two in one. And so he had fiercely faced the emperor, knowing he had to do _anything_ and _everything_ to protect her, to keep her safe. That was all that had kept running through his mind. _Keep her safe_. As he flew in the fighter to Exegol. _Keep her safe_. As he had broken out into an all-out _sprint_ to get to her side. _Keep her safe_. As he faced the Knights of Ren. _Keep her safe_ , even as his back cracked against the jagged rock as he was thrown into the chasm. 

***

Now, Rey’s back curled forward as a sob ripped out of her throat. 

“ _Ben,_ ” she softly cried. “I’m sorry…” 

Those last two words ended on a whisper as she finally crumpled to the ground. Exhausted and depleted, her life force flickering in and out. She was still there, still fighting to live, but that part of her -- the part of her that knew her family was safe, that the resistance had triumphed, but also the part of her that knew _he_ was gone -- inched further and further towards the place where she would permanently surrender to sleep. To rest. 

She closed her eyes. 

***

_Keep her safe._

_Keep her safe,_ as he climbed

_Keep her safe,_ as he ascended.

_Keep her safe,_ as he _rose._

Ben grunted as he used every bit of his depleted strength to pull himself up over the edge. With a stumbling gait, he made his way over to her body. Even when his strength failed him, he was committed to get to her side. He would get to her, even if he had to crawl on all fours. 

When he finally fell by her side, his eyes scanned her visage quickly enough to note that her eyes were closed. 

She was not dead. No, he refused to believe that. She was just weak, passed out from the immense exertion she had just been forced to spend. 

It took a little effort, but he managed to get her into his arms. She was cold and so still. He placed a trembling hand on her face.

“Rey,” he whispered. 

When she didn’t stir, he felt as though his chest was cleaving in two. And he felt the agony of the realization that he was once more _alone._ He had forgotten momentarily what that had felt like. Seems absurd, given the amount of years he had spent in solitude. But now, as he beheld her in his arms, he felt it once more. The _loneliness_ that had been his only companion for so long. He closed his eyes as his body shook violently at the reality that he now had to exist in a galaxy where she didn’t. 

Something touched his hand. So light, so delicate he barely even felt it. 

As he opened his eyes and found her gazing back at him tenderly, relief poured over him so suddenly and he couldn’t help the tears that leaked from his eyes, trailing down his cheeks. 

And as she stared at him, whispering, “you’re not alone, Ben,” he released a sob as he crushed her against him, burying his face into the crook of her neck. She hugged him back, though he noted her embrace was weaker than he knew she was capable of. 

He pulled away, the backs of his fingers brushing against her face. “You’re hurt. You need help.” 

As he placed a hand on her stomach, she placed hers over his. “So are you,” she said with a bit more volume in her voice. “You don’t have much to give. Don’t.” 

Ben shook his head as he gave her an incredulous look. “Rey, how can I not?” As she looked up at him, his face both soft and fierce, he cupped her face with his left hand, his thumb brushing over a tear she didn’t know she’d let fall. “It’ll be okay.” His voice was a mere whisper, yet the words blared in her ears. 

_It’ll be okay._ And from the purpose in his eyes, she knew he really believed that. That even if he lost his very life, it would all be worth it, just as long as he knew she was alive and safe. 

As he closed his eyes, she quickly removed his hand from her stomach and laced her fingers through his instead. 

“No, Ben.” 

He frowned at her. “Rey, I can’t just let you--” 

“Maybe you don’t have to. Ben, I--” she took a deep breath as her mind went through everything that had happened with the emperor, everything that had happened for the past _year_. “I don’t know everything about our bond. Why it was formed. What it can do. All I know is that it’s something _rare_ and _sacred_.” She lifted her hand to his face, smiling softly as he subconsciously leaned into her touch. “I don’t want to live in a galaxy without you either, Ben. We do this together. Or not at all.” 

She nodded at their entwined hands and he looked at them for a moment, before raising his gaze back to hers. 

“What if you--” he started to protest.

“Together.” she repeated firmly. 

And as he searched her face, as if he were desperately trying to memorize everything about her, he exhaled sharply and nodded at her. 

Squeezing her hand, he bent his forehead down to hers. “Together.” 

And so it began. He gave as she took, and she gave as he took. As he poured his life into hers, so she poured hers into him. It was unlikely that it would work. She knew it and so did he. Odds were it would only leave them at a standstill, leaving both of them weak and her at death’s door. And as the cycle continued to no avail, Ben trembled against her at the dark reality looming over him. 

“Rey, stop--”

But at that very moment, something stirred within them. It was warm and cold at the same time, a radiant light and a tranquil dark all at once. It made its presence known, growing larger and larger till it was hard to breathe. 

Rey opened her eyes to find that Ben was already looking at her, his face awestruck. Something had happened, something that allowed her the strength to rise, and Ben with her. 

She shook her head. “I--I don’t know how--” she broke off, looking at her hands that were placed on his chest. 

And neither did he. He could only assume that what they’d thought was a pointless cycle of exchanging life and energy between them, was actually stirring and reviving their bond. Her life in him, his life in hers, over and over and over until the bond grew stronger with every cycle, stirring and moving until it started to restore itself.

It made no sense, but then again, many things don’t when it comes to the force and its ways. And Ben found that he didn’t care, as he looked at Rey standing on her own two feet in front of him. 

He placed his hands over hers on his chest. “Rey.” His hands traced down her hands, up her arms, over her shoulders. He cradled her face in his hands. “Rey,” he whispered again. His forehead leaned against hers. “Rey.” 

He had so much to say. An infinite number of things to tell her. But all he could manage to say was her name. 

She looked at him, her eyes shone with tears, that radiant smile that breaks his heart even as it makes it swell. “I know,” she whispered back. 

And then she wrapped her hand around the back of his neck, pulling his head down to meet his lips with hers. 

She was the sun. She was life itself. And he clung to her like a man starved for air. The hole in his chest slowly filling to the brim as her fingers ran through his hair. 

Alone no more. 

For a split second, as she kissed him, Rey saw a boy in her mind, a boy alone in his bedroom while his parents fought, a boy alone as walked away from his parents, a boy alone after his uncle had raised a saber over him.

Rey pulled away from him, hand brushing over his cheek. “Ben.”

And then, he smiled and it just occurred to her that in all the time that she had known him, had ran from him, had fought against him -- she had never seen him _smile_.

And as she cried, she said again, “Ben.” 

And he smiled that familiar crooked smile her way. “I know.” 

***

She flew back to base alone. As far as she knew, there was no need for the resistance to know that Ben Solo had survived. Afterall, Kylo Ren had died and that was all they needed to know. He had offered to return with her, though with a few reservations of his own. He knew what would likely happen if he chose to go back with her. 

No matter how many times Rey would have told them, it would not have diminished the spark of fear in the hearts of the rebels. They would not see Ben as she saw him, they would only see Kylo and the threat of him potentially overriding the victory they had just gained would be too much for them. He’d be detained, put on trial, maybe even executed. No, that was not an option. And Rey knew deep down that Kylo was gone and was never going to return. There was no more need for the resistance. No more First and Final Orders to fight against.

And so, they promised to meet each other again. And went their separate ways. 

***

Rey brushed the sand off her hands, looking at the place where Luke and Leia’s sabers had just been and smiling to herself. 

“It’s been so long since anyone has come here.” 

The aged voice prompted Rey to look up at the old lady. 

“Who are you?” she asked Rey. 

Rey looked at her for some time, for once, not feeling the rising anxiety and shame that usually arose when people asked her that question in the past. “I’m Rey.” 

“Rey _who_?” She was persistent, this old lady. 

Rey smiled. “Just Rey.” 

The old lady nodded and moved on. And as Rey watched her go, she felt it then. That presence. The presence that used to unsettle her when she didn’t understand, but which now filled her with something else entirely. 

She looked away from the departing woman, her eyes closing as she felt the presence approach her. 

“Just Rey, huh?” the voice spoke, deep and steady like a sea after a storm. It held a slight teasing lilt and it occurred to her then that this was a first as well. Joking and teasing and having fun. Things they didn’t have the liberty to dwell on in the past. 

She smiled slightly as he made his way to her side. “Just Rey.” 

“Hmm.” Amused. He was _amused_. 

She opened her eyes and looked up at him slowly, turning to face him. And for a moment, as she gazed into his eyes with her own, for a split second she suddenly felt like this was another one of their force connections. That they were still separated by space and time and he was not even with her at this moment--

But then he held his hand out to her with a knowing look. “Well, _just Rey_. I offer you my hand once more. Will you take it this time?”

And as she slowly placed her hand in his, she smiled and through her tears, she let loose a watery laugh as she threw herself in his arms. He wrapped his arms around her and that teasing mood dissipated as he clung to her, breathing her in. Objectively, it hadn’t been that long. Just a few months as she settled things down with the resistance and said her tearful goodbyes to her friends. 

But those few months had been long and grueling to him and finally having her in his arms was enough to almost bring him to his knees. She pulled away just enough to press her lips to his. And he couldn’t help the smile that formed as a result of it. 

Pulling away, he looked at her again. “So, what now, _just Rey_?” 

She rolled her eyes, smiling with a scrunched up little nose. “You’re still on that, huh?” 

He shrugged. “Can’t help it. You’re wrong.”

As he took her hand in his and led them towards the x-wing she flew here in, she looked up at him. “Oh? How so?” There was a lilt of laughter in her voice as she asked him.

He leaned down towards her and kisses her forehead. “You’re not _just_ Rey. You’ll never be. From now on,” he smiles down at her. “It’ll always be just Rey and Ben.”

She looked up at him, eyes shining with barely restrained laughter. _Joy_. She hadn’t felt it in a long time. “Just Rey and Ben,” she repeated softly, unable to remove the wide smile that had spread onto her face. 

“Mmm,” he hummed happily. “You’re not alone anymore, Rey.”

And as Rey followed his soft gaze and saw Luke and Leia smiling at them from afar, tears filled her eyes.

She leaned into Ben, her heart swelling almost painfully in her chest. “Neither are you,” she murmured softly.

Ben squeezed her hand knowingly, his eyes soft and _so_ happy as he pulled her closer to his side. And as they walked along the desert towards her x-wing, the two suns shrouding them in liquid gold as they fell towards the horizon, the force hummed in the air. 

Balance had been restored. Rey and Ben, both the products of darkness and light, a dyad in the force, two beings made one. Their story had been written in the stars for them since the beginning. Both born into a lonely existence, but no longer. Not ever again. Against all odds, across time and space itself, their bond grew and strengthened and prevailed. She once had thought she'd live an eternity alone, constantly waiting for someone to offer her companionship. She'd found that and more with Ben. Ben, who had also gone his entire life feeling like nobody wanted him, not his parents, his uncle, even Rey when she had continually refused to take his hand. Now, he can't believe that he gets to continue life by her side, that they _both_ came out of the horrors of their past, the nightmare of their final duel against the emperor, _alive_. Alive to tell the tale -- but more importantly, to spend the rest of their days together. 

Ben felt the unfamiliar sensation of tears prickling at his eyes. He didn't deserve this. _Her_. _Happiness_ with her. But as she turned her face towards him, pressed a kiss against his arm as they walked, he knew she was assuring him that he did, in fact, deserve _this_ and so much more. It would take some time to get used to, but time was all that he wanted with her. And so Ben pressed another kiss against her temple, tears falling over his cheeks in pure, unabated joy. 

It was as it should have always been. As it had always meant to be. 

Just Rey and Ben. 

**Author's Note:**

> Well, there you have it! This was written all in one go, so I apologize for any grammar mistakes or things that don't really add up. 
> 
> I want to say that I did love TROS a LOT. It's one of the best SW films in my opinion. I do have some issues with it -- mainly that Ben died when he should have been the one they were referring to in the title. I mean, killing off the LAST Skywalker, *sigh*, I'll just never understand it.  
> But overall, I freaking loved it and I'm actually going to go see it again on Christmas day haha. The reylo moments we actually did get were STUNNING. Every scene with them in it was so captivating and had me on the edge of my seat!  
> So despite the fact that reylo didn't get the happy ending they deserved together, I am happy that we at least got a kiss from them. (And multiple healing sessions, like what!).  
> Star Wars has a history of telling tragic love stories, I guess (Anidala, Leia and Han, now Rey and Ben). Star Wars also has a history of the Skywalkers sacrificing themselves for people they love. Vader for Luke, Luke for his sister and the resistance, Leia for Ben, Ben for Rey. I get it. I just don't love it haha.  
> But with that being said, I hope you guys can appreciate the movie for what it is, rather than hating the writers or cursing JJ. Star Wars is Star Wars and it was a joy and thrill to be able to experience the last final moments of the Skywalker Saga in person on opening night. 
> 
> EDIT: hey guys! If you're back to read the little bit that I added in, thank you! I want to explain why I suddenly felt the need to add Luke and Leia in. I've been struggling with this feeling for the past few days after seeing TROS for the second time. I strongly feel that the original ending for TROS ended with Rey and Ben BOTH living. I strongly feel that Ben was cut out of the binary sunset scene and that luke and Leia were smiling at BOTH of them. It would explain why the continuity during this scene was a little off. And that JJ changed the original ending (Ben and Rey both living) when he called for reshooting. So to cope, I added in a little bit more at the ending. Thanks again for reading guys! Lets hope our hearts heal over time over the fact that we could have gotten a reylo happy ending, but didn't 


End file.
